The Paralympic Games (Paralympic Games) are international sports competitions for the disabled (except for the hearing impaired). Traditionally held after the main Olympic Games, and since 1988 - at the same sports facilities; in 2001, this practice was enshrined in an agreement between the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Summer Paralympic Games have been held since 1960, and the Winter Paralympic Games since 1976.

The emergence of sports in which disabled people can participate is associated with the name of the English neurosurgeon Ludwig Gutman, who, overcoming age-old stereotypes in relation to people with physical disabilities, introduced sport into the process of rehabilitation of patients with injuries spinal cord. He has proven in practice that sports for people with physical disabilities creates conditions for successful life, restores mental balance, allows them to return to a full life regardless of physical disabilities, and strengthens the physical strength necessary to manage a wheelchair.

Name

The name was originally associated with the term paraplegia paralysis of the lower extremities, since these competitions were held among people with diseases of the spine, but with the beginning of athletes and other diseases participating in the games, it was reinterpreted as “near, outside (Greek παρά) the Olympics”; This refers to the parallelism and equality of the Paralympic competitions with the Olympic ones.

The spelling “Paralympic” is recorded in the academic “Russian Spelling Dictionary” and other dictionaries. The spelling “Paralympic” is not yet noted in dictionaries and is used only in official documents organs state power, being a carbon copy of the official name (IOC) on English language- paralympic games. Federal Law of November 9, 2009 No. 253-FZ “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts” Russian Federation"(adopted State Duma October 21, 2009, approved by the Federation Council on October 30, 2009) established the uniform use in the legislation of the Russian Federation of the words Paralympic and Deaflympic, as well as phrases formed on their basis: Russian Paralympic Committee, Paralympic Games, etc. In the said Federal Law, the spelling of these words is given in accordance with the rules established by international sports organizations. The rejection of the term “Paralympic” is due to the fact that the use of the word “Olympic” and its derivatives for marketing and other commercial purposes must be agreed upon each time with the IOC.

At first, the term "Paralympic Games" was used unofficially. The 1960 Games were officially called the "Ninth International Stoke Mandeville Games" and were only given the status of the first Paralympic Games in 1984. The first games to officially apply the term "Paralympics" were the 1964 games. However, in a number of games up to the 1980 Games, the term “Olympic Games for the Disabled” was used, in 1984 - “International Games for the Disabled”. The term “Paralympic” was finally formalized starting with the 1988 Games.

In 1948, Stoke Mandeville Rehabilitation Hospital doctor Ludwig Guttmann gathered British veterans returning from World War II with spinal cord injuries to participate in sports competitions. Called the "Father of Sports for the Physically Disabled," Guttman was a strong proponent of using sports to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries. The first Games, which became the prototype of the Paralympic Games, were called the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games - 1948 and coincided with the Olympic Games in London. Guttman had a far-reaching goal - the creation of the Olympic Games for athletes with disabilities. The British Stoke Mandeville Games were held annually, and in 1952, with the arrival of a Dutch team of wheelchair athletes to participate in the competition, the Games received international status and had 130 participants. The IX Stock Mandeville Games, which were open not only to war veterans, took place in 1960 in Rome. They are considered the first official Paralympic Games. 400 wheelchair athletes from 23 countries competed in Rome. Since that time, the rapid development of the Paralympic movement in the world began.

In 1976, the first Winter Paralympic Games took place in Örnsköldsvik (Sweden), in which for the first time not only wheelchair users, but also athletes with other categories of disabilities took part. Also in 1976, the Summer Paralympic Games in Toronto made history by attracting 1,600 participants from 40 countries, including the blind and visually impaired, paraplegics, and athletes with amputees, spinal cord injuries and other types of physical impairments.

Competitions, the purpose of which was initially the treatment and rehabilitation of disabled people, became sporting event highest level, which necessitated the creation of a governing body. In 1982, the Coordinating Council of International Sports Organizations for the Disabled - ICC - was created. Seven years later, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was created and the coordinating council transferred its powers to it.

Another turning point in the Paralympic movement was the 1988 Summer Paralympic Games, which were held in the same venues as the Olympic competitions. The 1992 Winter Paralympics took place in the same city and in the same arenas as the Olympic competition. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed an agreement requiring the Paralympic Games to be held in the same year, in the same country, and to use the same venues as the Olympic Games. This agreement officially applies starting with the 2012 Summer Games.

Ludwig Guttmann - Father of the Paralympic Games

WITH Competitions for people with disabilities, which eventually became known as the Paralympic Games, began to be held at the instigation of the outstanding neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann (1899-1980). “It’s not what’s lost that’s important, it’s what’s left that’s important,” he argued.

Guttman was convinced that sport was an excellent way of not only physical, but also psychological and social rehabilitation of people with serious injuries - many of them appeared in Europe after the Second World War.

Gutman himself was forced in the 30s to emigrate from Nazi Germany to England, where in 1944 he received an order from the British government to create a center for the treatment of patients with musculoskeletal disorders at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Using his techniques, Guttman helped many soldiers return to normal life after severe wounds and injuries. Here, in Stoke Mandeville in 1948, Ludwig Guttman held an archery competition among wheelchair athletes - the Olympic Games were opening in London at that time.

In 1952, again simultaneously with the next Olympics, he organized the first international competitions with the participation of 130 disabled athletes not only from England, but also from Holland. And in 1956, for organizing the next major competition of people with disabilities Guttman received the International Olympic Committee award - Fernley Cup for his contribution to development Olympic movement. Pope Paul XXIII called Guttmann “Coubertin for the paralyzed.” In 1966, Dr. Gutman was awarded a knighthood. Dr. Guttman died on March 18, 1980 at the age of 80.

Today Stoke Mandelville is a mandatory stop in the Paralympic relay. In 2014, the entire relay takes place in Russia, the only exception being this English city.

First Paralympic Games

Guttman's persistence was crowned with success - immediately after the 1960 Olympics, the first Summer Paralympic Games were held in Rome, they were opened by the wife of the former President of Italy, Carla Gronchi. Pope John XXIII received the participants in the Vatican. Only wheelchair athletes who had suffered a spinal cord injury participated in the Games. They competed in archery, athletics, the Games program included basketball, fencing, table tennis, swimming, as well as darts and billiards.

Name and emblem

The term "Paralympic Games" was first used informally, by analogy with the term paraplegia, since the competition was held among people with spinal disorders. When athletes with other diseases began to participate in the games, the name was rethought as “near, outside (from the Greek παρά) the Olympics.” The 1960 Games were officially called the "Ninth International Stoke Mandeville Games" and were only given the status of the first Paralympic Games in 1984.

The first games to officially apply the term "Paralympics" were the 1964 games. However, in a number of games up to the 1980 Games, the term “Olympic Games for the Disabled” was used, in 1984 - “International Games for the Disabled”. The term “Paralympic” was finally established at the 1988 games.

The spelling “Paralympic” is used in official documents of government authorities, being a copy of the official name (IOC) in English - paralympic games.

The emblem of the Paralympic Games is located around center point three hemispheres of red, blue and green colors - three agitos (from the Latin agito - “to set in motion, to move”). Red, green and blue - often found and widely represented in the national flags of countries around the world, symbolize Mind, Body and Spirit. This emblem appeared for the first time at the Paralympic Games. winter games in Turin in 2006. The Paralympic motto is “Spirit in Motion”. The motto succinctly and powerfully conveys the purpose of the Paralympic Movement - to provide opportunities for Paralympic athletes of all levels and backgrounds to inspire and delight the world through their sporting achievements.

Outstanding Paralympians

Each of the Paralympic athletes can be called a hero, regardless of whether their victory is crowned with an official award: it is important that they did not resign themselves to the fate prepared by fate. They broke it and won. Let's try to remember those people who can be called the predecessors of modern heroes of the Paralympic Games.

was a gymnast. He became famous for his incredible performance at the 1904 Summer Olympics, when in one day George managed to win 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze). Eiser's achievement looks even more fantastic if we remember that the athlete performed on a prosthesis - he had previously lost his leg in a railway incident.

Acer was born in Germany, when George was 14, his family moved to the States; Despite the fact that his left leg was amputated after an accident, Eiser trained hard, setting the goal of competing at the 1904 Olympics.

The 1904 Summer Games in St. Louis were the third Olympic Games in the history of modern sports and the first Games at which gold, silver and bronze medals were awarded to the winners of the top three places (previously the winners were awarded trophies).

On the parallel bars, pommel horse and 25-foot rope climbing, George was the best, on the pommel horse and 14-stage all-around, he took silver, and won bronze on the horizontal bar.

Until 2008, Eiser remained the only Olympic participant with an artificial leg. In 2008, South African swimmer Natalie du Toit competed at the Olympics; in the 10-kilometer marathon swim she managed to take only 16th place.

After his brilliant performance at the Olympics, Eiser continued to play sports. Unfortunately, very little is known about George's later life - we don't even know the story exact date the death of this outstanding and dedicated gymnast.

Liz Hartel (Denmark)(1921-2009). Silver medalist at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne (Stockholm).

Hartel has loved horses since childhood and was passionate about dressage. However, after the birth of her daughter, she fell ill with polio and was partially paralyzed. But she didn’t give up her favorite sport and rode beautifully, although she couldn’t get into the saddle and leave it without help. As she said in her speech at the conference of the Association of Riding for the Disabled, held in England in 1975: “In addition to the hope of getting better, I had an unquenchable desire to ride a horse again. One day I was taken in a carriage to the stables of my favorite horse. Everyone thought I was going crazy, but I insisted on my own, and they lifted me onto my obedient horse. I was able to walk around the arena just one lap at a walk. It couldn’t be called horse riding, I was simply carried, but I was sitting on horseback again. It was incredibly beautiful, I was filled with joy. I felt that one goal had already been achieved, and the next ones were already waiting for me. I was so tired and everything hurt so much that I had to lie down, and two weeks passed before I decided to try again.

Until 1952, only men were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in equestrian sports, mostly military men. But the rules were changed, and women received the right to compete in equestrian tournaments at any level on an equal basis with men. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, four women competed in dressage. Liz won a silver medal and became the first female Olympic medalist in equestrian competition. At the 1956 Games she repeated her success.

The Paralympic Games are international sports for people with disabilities (except for the hearing impaired - the Deaf Olympic Games are held for them), which are traditionally held after the Olympic Games.

When the question “how to write correctly” is asked, then, of course, what is meant is an explanation from the point of view of Russian grammar.

The academic “Russian Spelling Dictionary” (edited by V.V. Lopatin. M., 2005) and other dictionaries of the Russian language record the spelling Paralympic games, Paralympics.

Paralympic is a compound word consisting of two parts: “para-” and “Olympic”.

The pair (from the Greek παρ? - near, past, outside, around) points to difficult words to deviate, to be near, to violate something, to go beyond boundaries (paranormal, paramagnetic, parapsychology, parascience).

In Russian, the word-forming principle for this construction of “para-” and an adjective or noun does not imply dropping the initial letters from the second part of the word (for “para-” the initial letters are dropped last letter“a”, but the first letter of a subsequent adjective or noun has never been dropped in complex words in Russian).

There are Olympic Games, but there are no "Olympic Games". There are the Olympics, but there is no "Lympiad". And there is no “Olympiad” and “Olympic Games” (if we accept that the “a” of the “para-” is dropped).

Therefore, from the point of view of the norms of the Russian language, there is only one correct option: Paralympic games, Paralympics.

How did it happen that now in all official documents, newspapers, magazines, on the Internet, on Wikipedia we see something completely different: the Paralympic Games, the Paralympic Committee, the Paralympic Games... and in an essay or dictation in the Russian language write “Paralympic Games” will it be a mistake?

The State Duma of the Russian Federation on October 21, 2009 adopted a law approved by the Federation Council on October 30, 2009, “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (No. 253-FZ dated November 9, 2009), according to which the letter “o” was removed from the words “Paralympic”, “Paralympics”, as well as “deaf Olympiad” and “deaf Olympics”. This was motivated by the need to bring the spelling of these words into line with the international spelling. The meeting participants did not react to the objections of the linguist expert who took part in the meeting of the State Duma Commission on this issue and unanimously voted to make changes, that is, to remove the letter “o” from these Russian words.

1) The very concept of “international spelling” of certain words is absurd. Eat different languages, each of which has its own spelling, in accordance with the rules of that particular language. For example, there is no international spelling of the Russian word "apple". If somewhere “apple” is spelled differently, this does not mean that we should make changes to our language. If most languages ​​do not have the letter “o” in words meaning the Paralympic Games, this does not mean that we need to exclude it. Why on earth?! A common spelling is not the same as a common terminology. The uniform terminology is not violated by a difference of one or even two or three letters. In some countries, the letter “o” is in the phrase “Paralympic Games” - and this does not create any problem, no violation of the uniform terminology. On Portuguese- Jogos Paraolímpicos, in Greek - Παραολυμπιακο? Αγ?νες, in Bulgarian - Paralympic Games, in Estonian - Paraolümpiamängud, in Croatian - Paraolimpijske igre, in Polish - Igrzyska paraolimpijskie, etc. - Russian legislators have not found more important things to do than removing letters from certain words , correcting the Russian language in accordance with their unprofessional, amateurish understanding, without listening to the professional opinion of philologists.

2) Deputies do not understand (and the then President Medvedev, who signed this law, did not understand) that language norms are not established at the legislative level. Each task must have its own specialists. In our case, this means that the “Russian Spelling Dictionary”, published by the Institute of Russian Language. V.V. Vinogradova Russian Academy Sciences (chief editor, professor, doctor of philological sciences, chairman of the Spelling Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences V.V. Lopatin) is more authoritative than the law signed by the President of the country (we remember how Medvedev interfered with the translation of the clock hands so that later his decision had to be corrected).

Linguistic norms are less strict, more flexible and tolerant of external voluntaristic influences than, for example, the laws of mathematics. If the Duma adopted a law that from now on two and two equal five, then mathematicians would be indignant. But the absolute majority of linguists silently wiped themselves off after spitting on them, saying: “There’s nothing to be done, the high authorities decided so,” and now from obedient linguists we can only expect the speedy inclusion of the changed norm in the dictionaries, in connection with the highest command of the statesmen.

But how do you still write - Paralympic or Paralympic?

Decide for yourself, taking into account your personal freedom of choice (you don’t take an exam, for example, and are not afraid of criticism) and your sense of language.

There is no hope that linguists will resist and the law will be repealed (more than five years have passed and no resistance has been observed). Therefore, most likely, the norm introduced by law will become the real norm of the Russian language.

The history of the Olympic Games is well known to many. Unfortunately, the Paralympic, or, as they say, Paralympic, games are much less known - the Olympiads for people with physical disabilities and disabilities.

The founder of the Paralympic movement, the outstanding neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann (1899-1980), was born in Germany. For a long time worked at a hospital in Breslau. In 1939 he emigrated to England. His medical talent was obvious and soon appreciated: on behalf of the British government in 1944, he opened and headed the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the hospital in the small town of Stoke Mandeville, 74 km from London. Using his techniques, Guttman helped many soldiers wounded in the battles of World War II return to normal life after severe wounds and injuries. An important place in these methods was given to sports.

It was in Stoke Mandeville in 1948 that Ludwig Guttmann held an archery competition among wheelchair athletes - the Olympic Games were opening in London at the same time. In 1952, again simultaneously with the next Olympics, he organized the first international competition with the participation of 130 disabled athletes from England and Holland. And in 1956, for organizing the next major competitions for people with disabilities, Guttman received an award from the International Olympic Committee - the Fernley Cup for his contribution to the development of the Olympic movement.

Guttman's persistence was crowned with success. Immediately after the 1960 Olympics, the first summer Paralympic Games took place in Rome, and since 1976, winter games have also been held regularly.

For outstanding services in saving people from physical and mental illnesses, helping to restore their sense of civic fullness and dignity, Guttman received a knighthood and the highest award - the Order of the British Empire.

Of course, all of them - Paralympic athletes - are heroes because they did not accept the fate prepared by fate. They broke it and won. And it doesn’t matter at all whether their victory is crowned with an official award. But first, it’s worth remembering the predecessors of modern Paralympic heroes.

George Acer (USA). He was born in 1871 in Germany, the birthplace of gymnastics - perhaps that is why he chose this sport, continuing to practice it in the USA, where his family emigrated. Achieved the first successes and - tragedy. I got hit by a train and lost my left leg. Using a wooden prosthesis, he continued to prepare for the Olympic Games, which were to be held in his city of St. Louis.

And when they took place, Eiser, a gymnast on a wooden prosthesis, won gold medals in exercises on the uneven bars, in the vault and in rope climbing. In addition, he won silver medals on seven apparatuses and bronze on the horizontal bar.

Oliver Halassi (Hungary)- silver medalist of the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Olympic champion of the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and the pre-war Olympics in Berlin of 1936. As a child, he lost his leg below the knee when he was hit by a car. He categorically refused to recognize himself as disabled, training in swimming and water polo.

In 1931, Oliver became the European champion in 1500 m swimming, and in 1931, 1934 and 1938, as part of the Hungarian national team, he won the title of European champion in water polo. He was the champion of his country in swimming 25 times (!) - at distances from 400 to 1500 m.

In our country, Oliver Halassi is almost unknown; there is no information about him in sports books. The reason is that in 1946 he died at the hands of a soldier Soviet army. According to one version, the athlete tried to stop the looters near his home. A few days later, his wife gave birth to their third child.

Károly Takás (Hungary)(1910-1976). Olympic champion in London 1948 and Helsinki 1952. Takash was a military man, but in 1938 his army career was cut short by a break in right hand defective grenade.

Károly quickly relearned how to shoot with his left hand: the very next year after the tragedy - in 1939 - he became the world champion as part of the Hungarian team. At the 1948 Olympics in London, Takash amazed everyone by winning gold in his signature event - shooting from 25 m from rapid fire pistol. Before the fight, Argentinean Carlos Diaz Valente, who was considered the favorite in this event, asked Takash, not without irony, why he came to the Olympics. Takash answered briefly: “To study.” During the award ceremony, Carlos, who took second place on the podium, sincerely admitted to him: “You learned well.”

Takash repeated his success at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics; he was the first two-time champion in the history of the Olympic Games. He also performed at the following games, but failed to become the champion of three Olympiads in a row.

Ildiko Uylaki-Reito (Hungary)(born in 1937). Participant in five Olympiads, two-time champion of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, winner of seven medals. The famous fencer, one of the strongest in the history of sports fencing, was born deaf. The physical deficiency was compensated by an incredible reaction. She started fencing at the age of 15. The coaches, who immediately appreciated the girl’s amazing talent, communicated with her in writing, conveying instructions through notes.

Ildiko's favorite weapon was the rapier. In 1956 she became the world champion among juniors, a year later she won the Hungarian adult championship, and in 1963 she became the world champion. At her first Olympic Games in Rome 1960, she won a silver medal in the team competition, and in Tokyo 1964 she rose to the top of her career: two golds, in the individual and team competition. At the next two Olympics she won four more medals - two silver and two bronze. In 1999, Ildiko became the world champion among veterans.

Liz Hartel (Denmark)(1921-2009). Silver medalist at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne (Stockholm). Hartel has loved horses since childhood and was passionate about dressage. However, after the birth of her daughter, she fell ill with polio and was partially paralyzed. But she didn’t give up her favorite sport and rode beautifully, although she couldn’t get into the saddle and leave it without help.

Until 1952, only men were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in equestrian sports, mostly military men. But the rules were changed, and women received the right to compete in equestrian tournaments at any level on an equal basis with men. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, four women competed in dressage. Liz won a silver medal and became the first female Olympic medalist in equestrian competition. At the 1956 Games she repeated her success.

Liz Hartel lived a colorful life rich life. She raised two children, was involved in coaching and charity work, and founded special therapeutic equestrian schools in different countries. The therapeutic and rehabilitation direction of equestrian sport - hippotherapy - thanks to it, is popular all over the world.

Sir Murray Hallberg ( New Zealand) (born 1933) In his youth, Halberg played rugby and was seriously injured during one of his matches. Despite his long-term treatment left hand remained paralyzed. Murray took up running and within three years became the national champion. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he won the 5000 m and was fifth in the 10,000 m. Murray set four world records in 1961, and in 1962 became a two-time Commonwealth Games three-mile champion. He ended his career at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, where he finished seventh in the 10,000 m. After leaving sports, Halberg became actively involved in charity work. The Halberg Trust helps disabled child athletes.

In 1988, Halberg received a knighthood, and in 2008, the country's highest honor, the Order of New Zealand. The Halberg Awards are presented annually to New Zealand's most successful athletes.

Terry Fox (Canada) (1958-1981) - national hero countries. He did not participate in the Paralympic Games, but inspired the exploits of many Paralympic athletes. After losing his leg at age 18 after cancer-related surgery, three years later he ran the “Marathon of Hope” around his country using a prosthetic leg, raising money for cancer research. In 143 days he covered more than 5000 km.

CHRONICLE OF THE SUMMER PARALYMPICS

I Summer Games (Rome, 1960)

The first ever Paralympic Games were opened by the wife of former Italian President Carla Gronchi, and Pope John XXIII received the participants in the Vatican. Only wheelchair athletes who had suffered a spinal cord injury participated in the Games. Archery, athletics, basketball, fencing, table tennis, swimming, as well as darts and billiards were represented.

II Summer Games (Tokyo, 1964)

The Games were able to be held in Japan thanks to the established connections of Japanese medical specialists with the Stoke Mandeville Ludwig Guttmann Center. Wheelchair races appeared in athletics: individual 60 m and relay races.

III Summer Games (Tel Aviv, 1968)

The Games were to be held in Mexico City immediately after the 1968 Olympics. But the Mexicans abandoned the Paralympics two years earlier, citing technical difficulties. Israel came to the rescue, organizing the competition for high level. The main character was the Italian Roberto Marson, who won nine gold medals - three each in athletics, swimming and fencing.

IV Summer Games (Heidelberg, 1972)

This time the Games were held in the same country as the Olympics, but in a different city - the organizers rushed to sell the Olympic village for private apartments. For the first time, athletes with visual disabilities participated, they competed in the 100 m race. Goalball also appeared for them - for now as a demonstration event.

V Summer Games (Toronto, 1976)

For the first time, amputee athletes competed. The largest number of program types - 207 - were in athletics. Unusual competitions also appeared - wheelchair slalom and kicking a soccer ball for distance and accuracy. The hero was 18-year-old Canadian Arnie Bold, who lost his leg at the age of three. He showed an amazing technique for jumping on one leg: he won the high and long jumps, setting an incredible world record in the high jump - 186 cm. He participated in four more Paralympics and won a total of seven gold and one silver medals, and in 1980 he improved your achievement by another 10 cm - 196 cm!

VI Summer Games (Arnhem, 1980)

The games were supposed to be held in Moscow, but the leadership of the USSR did not want to enter into contacts on this issue, and they were moved to Holland. Sitting volleyball appeared in the program - volleyball players from the Netherlands became the first champions. The Americans won the team competition - 195 medals (75 gold). Here and below are the official data of the International Paralympic Committee.

VII Summer Games (Stoke Mandeville and New York, 1984)

Due to problems of interaction between the Organizing Committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the competitions were held in parallel in America and Europe: 1,780 athletes from 41 countries competed in New York and 2,300 from 45 countries in Stoke Mandeville. A total of 900 medals were awarded. If athletes of all categories competed in New York, then in Stoke Mandeville, according to tradition, only wheelchair athletes competed. The Americans again won the team competition - 396 medals (136 gold).

VIII Summer Games (Seoul, 1988)

This time, the Paralympic Games were again held on the same sports grounds and in the same city as the Olympic Games. The program included 16 sports. Wheelchair tennis was presented as a demonstration event. The hero of the Games was American swimmer Trisha Zorn, who won 12 gold medals - ten in individual swims and two relays. Soviet Paralympians competed only in athletics and swimming, but were able to win 56 medals in these events, including 21 gold, and take 12th team place.

Vadim Kalmykov won four gold medals in Seoul - in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and pentathlon.

IX Summer Games (Barcelona, ​​1992)

Wheelchair tennis has become an official sport. The CIS team won 45 medals, including 16 gold, and took eighth overall team place. And the US Paralympians won again, winning 175 medals, including 75 gold.

X Summer Games (Atlanta, 1996)

These Games were the first in history to receive commercial sponsorship. 508 sets of awards were raffled off in 20 program types. Sailing and wheelchair rugby were featured as demonstration sports.

Albert Bakarev became the first Russian wheelchair athlete to win the Paralympic gold medal in swimming at a competition in Atlanta. He had been swimming since childhood, but was seriously injured at the age of 20 when he unsuccessfully jumped into the water while on vacation. Returning to the sport, five years later he showed good results; in Barcelona 1992 he became a bronze medalist. In 1995 he won the world championship. In Sydney 2000 he won two medals - silver and bronze.

XI Summer Games (Sydney, 2000)

After these Games, it was decided to temporarily exclude athletes with intellectual disabilities from participation. The reason was the difficulties of medical control. The reason was the participation of several healthy athletes in the Spanish national basketball team. The Spaniards defeated Russia in the final, but the deception was exposed, however, the “gold” did not go to our basketball players, they remained silver medalists.

And the heroine of the Games was the Australian swimmer Siobhan Peyton, an athlete with an intellectual disability. She won six gold medals and set nine world records. The Australian Paralympic Committee named her Athlete of the Year and released her postage stamp with her image. She received a state award - the Order of Australia. Siobhan studied at a regular school and was very worried about the fact that she was constantly teased, calling her “slow.” With her victories, she adequately responded to her offenders.

XII Summer Games (Athens, 2004)

There has never been such an abundance of records at any of the past Games. In swimming competitions alone, world records were broken 96 times. In athletics, world records were broken 144 times and Paralympic records 212.

In Athens, famous Paralympic veterans competed successfully, including the visually impaired American Trisha Zorn, who at the age of 40 won her 55th medal in swimming. A participant in six Games, she won almost every swimming event at them and simultaneously held nine Paralympic world records. Trisha also competed in able-bodied competitions and was a candidate for the US team for the 1980 Olympic Games.

The heroine of the Games was Japanese swimmer Mayumi Narita. The wheelchair athlete won seven gold and one bronze medal and set six world records.

XIII Summer Games (Beijing, 2008)

The hosts created all the conditions for the participants. Not only sports facilities and the Olympic Village, but also the streets of Beijing, as well as historical sites, were equipped with special devices for the disabled. China, as expected, took first place with 211 medals (89 gold). The Russians took eighth place - 63 (18). A good result, considering that our Paralympians competed in less than half of the program’s events.

The most medals - 9 (4 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) - were won by Brazilian swimmer Daniel Diaz.

Another hero, Oscar Pistorius (South Africa), a runner on prosthetics, became a three-time Paralympic champion in Beijing. At 11 months old, he lost his legs due to a birth defect. The athlete uses specially designed carbon fiber prostheses for running and is now fighting for the right to participate on an equal basis with everyone else in the London 2012 Olympics. At least, in the courts, he seems to have defended this right.

TYPES OF PARALYMPIC SPORTS

Summer

Wheelchair basketball. The very first game type that was presented at the Summer Games. Teams have five players; the rules, with the exception of the fact that players move in wheelchairs, are close to the usual ones. In Beijing 2008, Australian basketball players became the winners.

Billiards. Classic billiards - snooker in a version for wheelchair users was presented at the Games in 1960 by one masculine looking. The British won the gold and silver medals. The rules are not fundamentally different from the usual ones.

Struggle. Paralympic wrestling is closer to freestyle, participants are divided into weight categories. The Americans were the strongest in this event: in 1980 they won eight gold medals, and in 1984 - seven. Perhaps for this reason wrestling was replaced by judo.

Bocce. Variation of the Greek ball game. The rules are simple: the leather ball must be thrown as close as possible to the control white ball. The competition involves athletes with severe disabilities, men and women together; There are individual, pair and team options.

Cycling. The rules are not adapted specifically for athletes with disabilities, but additional protective equipment has been introduced. Wheelchair users compete on manual wheelchairs, and visually impaired athletes compete on tandem bicycles in pairs with sighted assistants. Men and women participate. The modern program includes road racing, as well as track sports: team, individual, pursuit, etc.

Volleyball. There are two varieties - standing and sitting. In Beijing, Russia competed in this event for the first time and won bronze medals.

Goalball. A ball game for blind athletes, in which you need to roll a large ball with a bell inside into the opponent's goal.

Academic rowing. Competitions are held in four types: men's and women's singles (athletes using only their hands participate), mixed doubles (with their arms and body) and mixed fours (with their legs).

Darts. This event, in a version for wheelchair users, was presented at the Paralympic Games from 1960 to 1980, but it is possible that it will return to the program.

Judo. In the Paralympic version, blind wrestlers (both men and women) grab each other before the signal to start the fight. In Beijing, Oleg Kretsul won a gold medal, the first for Russia.

Athletics. Running, jumping, throwing, all-around, as well as specific types - wheelchair racing. 160 types of programs were presented in Beijing. China takes first place with 77 medals (31 gold).

Horseback Riding. Competitions are held according to the compulsory program, free and team. 70 athletes took part in Beijing, including two representatives of Russia. Team Great Britain was out of competition - 10 medals (5 gold).

Lawn bowl (bowl game). The game is reminiscent of both golf and bowling, invented in England in the 12th century, and was part of the Paralympic Games from 1968 to 1988. The strongest athletes were invariably from Great Britain.

Table tennis. Wheelchair users (a ball crossing the side of the table after bouncing does not count) and amputees participate; there are single and team competitions. In Beijing, the hosts were beyond competition - 22 medals (13 gold).

Sailing. Men and women compete together in three classes of boats. In Beijing, Paralympians from the USA, Canada and Germany each won one gold medal.

Swimming. The rules are close to the usual ones, but there are changes. Thus, blind swimmers are informed about touching the wall of the pool. There are three starting options: standing, sitting and from the water.

Wheelchair rugby. Although both men and women participate, the game is tough and uncompromising. A volleyball is used that can be carried and passed by hand. Wheelchair rugby combines elements of basketball, football and ice hockey and is played on a basketball court. Special wheelchairs are used to soften the impact of collisions. The US team won gold in Beijing.

Power types. The most widespread exercise is powerlifting - the bench press. In Beijing, the Chinese became the best, winning 14 medals (9 gold).

Archery. The first Paralympic event was the start of the wheelchair competition, organized by Ludwig Guttman in Stoke Mandeville. The program includes team competitions, standing and sitting in a wheelchair.

Bullet shooting. Wheelchair users shoot while sitting in a wheelchair or lying down. Athletes are divided into two categories: those who use and those who do not use additional arm support. There are male, female and mixed types.

Dance sport. Wheelchair dance competitions are divided into three types - partner in a wheelchair, partner in a wheelchair, and both dancers in wheelchairs.

Wheelchair tennis. Men's and women's, singles and doubles competitions are held. The main difference from regular tennis is that the ball is allowed to bounce twice off the court.

Wheelchair fencing. The first type adapted for athletes with disabilities. The fundamental feature is that the strollers are secured on a special platform, and instead of leg movements, the body or only the arms are used.

Football 7x7. Competitions for athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, the degree of disability is strictly specified by the rules: impairments must interfere with normal play, and movement disorders are allowed, but it is necessary to maintain normal coordination in a standing position and when hitting the ball. In addition to the reduced size of the court and fewer players, there is no offside rule and one-handed throw-ins are allowed. Two halves of 30 minutes are played. Russian football players are champions of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, medalists in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Football 5x5. Game for blind and visually impaired athletes; close to goalball, but played standing up. There are four players on the team, and the goal is protected by a sighted coach-goalkeeper who directs the actions. The rattle ball game lasts 50 minutes. One team may have blind and visually impaired players; Blindfolds are required for everyone except the goalkeeper.

Winter

Biathlon. In 1988, only men with lower limb impairments participated in the competition. In 1992, events for athletes with visual impairments were added, which was made possible thanks to special audio electrical equipment created in Sweden. The diameter of the target for athletes with visual impairments is 30 mm, for athletes with musculoskeletal disorders - 25 mm. For each miss, a penalty minute is assigned.

Athletes' rifles are kept on the range and do not need to be carried. Shooting only while lying down. Athletes with visual impairments are provided with a guide to help them get into position and load the rifle.

Ski race. First, athletes with amputation participated (we used special devices for walking sticks) and those with visual impairments (they walked the distance with a guide). Since 1984, wheelchair athletes have also competed in cross-country skiing. They moved on sit-on sled skis - the seat is fixed at a height of about 30 cm on two ordinary skis - and held short poles in their hands.

Skiing. Three-ski slalom was invented: athletes descend the mountain on one ski, using two additional skis attached to the ends of poles. Monoski competitions are designed for wheelchair users and are similar to snowboarding. In Turin 2006 there were 24 types of programs, 12 each for men and women.

Wheelchair curling. Unlike traditional curling, there are no sweepers. Teams are mixed and the five players must include at least one representative of each gender. Athletes compete in their usual wheelchairs. The stones are moved by special sliding sticks with plastic tips that cling to the handle of the stone.

Ice sledge racing. Paralympic analogue of speed skating for wheelchair athletes. Instead of skates, sleighs with runners are used.

Sledge hockey. Invented by three disabled people from Sweden who played wheelchair sports on frozen lakes. As in traditional hockey, six players (including the goalkeeper) from each team play. Players move around the field on sleds; The equipment includes two sticks, one of which is used for pushing off the ice and maneuvering, and the other for hitting the puck. The game consists of three periods lasting 15 minutes.

Evgeniy Gik, Ekaterina Gupalo

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is the culmination of a four-year sports cycle for Paralympic athletes and the rest of the Paralympic movement. The Paralympic Games are the most prestigious competition for athletes with disabilities, with selection taking place through national, regional and world competitions.

In 2000, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed a Cooperation Agreement, which established the principles of relations between these organizations. A year later, the practice of “one application - one city” was introduced: the application to host the Olympic Games automatically extends to the Paralympic Games, and the Games are carried out at the same sports facilities by the same Organizing Committee. At the same time, the Paralympic competitions start two weeks after the end of the Olympic Games.

The term “Paralympic Games” was first mentioned in connection with the 1964 Games in Tokyo. This name was officially approved in 1988, at the Winter Games in Innsbruck (Austria). Until 1988 The games were called "Stoke Mandeville" (in accordance with the place where the first Paralympic competitions were held).

Name " " was originally associated with the term paraplegia (paraplegia), since the first regular competitions were held among people with spinal diseases. With the start of the participation of athletes with other disabilities in the Games, the term "Paralympic Games" was redefined as "next to, outside the Olympics": a merger of the Greek preposition " Para ” (near, outside, besides, about, parallel) and the words “ Olympics " The new interpretation was supposed to indicate the holding of competitions among people with disabilities in parallel and on an equal footing with the Olympic Games.

The idea of ​​creating the Paralympic Games belongs to a neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann (July 3, 1899 – March 18, 1980). Having emigrated from Germany to the UK in 1939, he, on behalf of the British government, opened the Spinal Injuries Center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury in 1944.

In July 1948, Ludwig Guttmann organized the first games for people with musculoskeletal injuries - the National Stoke Mandeville Games for the Disabled. They began on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Former military personnel who were injured in the war took part in the competition.
The Stoke Mandeville Games were given international status in 1952, when former Dutch military personnel took part in them.

In 1960 in Rome (Italy) A few weeks after the XVII Olympic Games, the IX annual international Stoke Mandeville Games were held. The Games program included eight sports: archery, athletics, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, table tennis, swimming, as well as darts and billiards. 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries took part in the competition. For the first time in the history of the Paralympic Games, not only people with disabilities who were injured during combat were allowed to participate in the competition.
In 1984, the IOC officially gave the competition the status First Paralympic Games .

The first Paralympic Winter Games took place in 1976 in Sweden, in Ornskoldsvik. The program included two disciplines: cross-country skiing and skiing competitions. alpine skiing. More than 250 athletes from 17 countries (visually impaired and amputee athletes) participated.

Since the 1992 Games, which took place in Tignes and Albertville, France, the Paralympic Winter Games have been held in the same cities as the Olympic Winter Games.

With the development of the Paralympic movement, sports organizations began to be created for people with various categories of disabilities. Thus, in 1960, the Committee for the International Stoke Mandeville Games was established in Rome, which later became the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation.

The most important event in the development of the Paralympic movement was the first General Assembly of international sports organizations for disabled people. On September 21, 1989 in Düsseldorf (Germany) it established International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (International Paralympic Committee IPC), which, as an international non-profit organization, provides leadership to the Paralympic Movement throughout the world. The emergence of the IPC was driven by a growing need to expand national representation and create a movement more focused on sport for people with disabilities.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization that prepares and conducts the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, World Championships and other international competitions for athletes with disabilities.

The highest body of the IPC is the General Assembly, which meets once every two years. All members of the IPC take part in the General Assembly. The main summary document of the IPC regulating the issues of the Paralympic Movement is the IPC Handbook, an analogue of the Olympic Charter in the Olympic Movement.

Since 2001, the post of President of the IPC has been occupied by an Englishman Sir Philip Craven , member of the board of the British Olympic Association and the London 2012 organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, world champion and two-time European champion in wheelchair basketball, ex-president International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.

Under the leadership of Sir Philip Craven, a process was initiated in 2002 to review the strategic objectives, governance and structure of the IASC. This innovative approach resulted in the development of a package of proposals and a new vision and mission for the Paralympic Movement, leading to the adoption of the current IPC Constitution in 2004.

First USSR national team took part in the 1984 Paralympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The team had only two bronze medals, won by skier Olga Grigorieva, who is visually disabled. Soviet Paralympians made their debut in the Paralympic Summer Games in 1988 in Seoul. They competed in swimming competitions and athletics, winning 55 medals, 21 of them gold.

First Paralympic emblem appeared at the Paralympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006. The logo consists of three hemispheres of red, blue and green colors located around a central point - three agitos (from the Latin agito - “to set in motion, to move”). This symbol reflects the role of the IPC in uniting athletes with disabilities who inspire and delight the world with their achievements. Three hemispheres, the colors of which - red, green and blue - are widely represented in the national flags of countries around the world, symbolize Mind, Body and Spirit.